Mozirje, Ljubno in Savinja Valley devastated by floods
Mozirje, 4 August - Mozirje in northern Slovenia is one of the areas most devastated by the ongoing floods, as the Trnjava River has burst its banks, flooding the main square. Also hit hard is Ljubno ob Savinji, some 10 km east, where the swollen Savinja River has shifted three houses downstream. People are still being rescued from their homes.
Mežica
Floods in Mežica in the north region of Koroška after a night of heavy rain.
Photo: STA
Mežica
Floods in Mežica in the north region of Koroška after a night of heavy rain.
Photo: STA
Mežica
Floods in Mežica in the north region of Koroška after a night of heavy rain.
Photo: STA
Mežica
Floods in Mežica in the north region of Koroška after a night of heavy rain.
Photo: STA
Mežica
Floods in Mežica in the north region of Koroška after a night of heavy rain.
Photo: STA
Mežica
Floods in Mežica in the north region of Koroška after a night of heavy rain on 4 August.
Photo: STA
File photo
Mozirje Mayor Ivan Suhoveršnik told the STA that the emergency services had to be activated at 3am, adding that "we had to rescue several people from flooded houses."
The nearby village of Loke has also been flooded and the Mozirski Gaj flower park has been closed for visitors. The local bus station is under water.
One of the problems is that local firefighters have a shortage of inflatable boats that could be used to evacuate people from the flooded houses, Suhoveršnik said.
In Ljubno ob Savinji, the swollen Savinja River has virtually taken three houses downstream, and another two houses are just about to be taken away as well. More than ten landslides have also been triggered.
At the moment, people in the houses threatened by the rising Savinja are bing evacuated, Ljubno Mayor Franjo Naraločnik said.
The premises of the Ljubno and Radmirje primary schools are open for people who feel at risk, and the relevant services have started distributing basic foodstuffs among people who are cut off by the floods.
It was meanwhile reported from the municipality of Braslovče, some 10 km south-east of Mozirje, that the bridge over the Savinja in Parižlje, on the Parižlje-Polzela road, has been closed due to flooding.
Some 25 people are trapped in around 25 buildings, and are currently being evacuated, said Rok Ušen, the commander of the local Civil Defence unit. The evacuated persons have been accommodated in the local primary school and gym.
Further downstream on the Savinja, in the municipality of Žalec, part of the village of Šempeter is under water and people are being evacuated from the village of Vrbje. All bridges across the Savinja in the municipality are closed.
In Velenje, some 10 km north-east of Mozirje, the Paka River has flooded certain areas, including a kindergarten, a camp, footpaths around Lake Škale, and several roads in the village of Škale, the local authorities said.
The MetalDays heavy metal music festival, which started on Sunday on Lake Velenje and was planned to close on Saturday, ended early, with the municipality of Velenje and many private providers providing accommodation and food for the foreign visitors.